Tortang Dulong

In our house, I do the cooking and the housecleaning while G is in charge of the laundry (except folding!) and the dishwashing. Have I ever told you how much I ♥ this guy? I think there’s nothing sexier in this world than the sight of a 6-ft, blue-eyed man with a hot ass scrubbing pots and pans. Makes me weak in the knees, I tell ya. Wahahaha. I am sorry. Forgive me for my licentious thoughts. This is a family-oriented blog after all.

Anyway, the story I was trying to share with you before I digressed was, this afternoon, I cooked tortang dulong for my lunch (and to post on the blog, of course). I drained the silverfish in a colander, transferred them into a bowl and went upstairs for a minute to find my recipe notes. I was halfway back down when I heard G shout a few expletives I can’t repeat here. It seemed my poor chap started to wash whatever soiled dishes were in the sink and he got freaked out with the few stray dulong that got stuck on the colander. He thought they were maggots!

Needless to say, I was the only one who ate this fish omelet.

This tortang dulong is one recipe I had to cook a few times before I got it right. On my first try, I just added the fish, fresh tomatoes and chopped green onions into the beaten eggs and proceeded to pan-fry the omelet. It was a disaster! The omelet was too watery, I couldn’t even flip it without making a royal mess. Also, as I added the fish raw, it was kind of hard to have them completely done without overcooking the eggs.

On my second-go-round, I decided to saute the dulong with onions, garlic, and tomatoes and made sure I drained the mixture well. My torta didn’t fall apart as much but it was still hard to form into sturdy patties.

I just about gave up on ever making this omelet successfully when, last weekend, I was in line at Seafood City to pay for my week’s worth of groceries when I saw the lady before me with a container of dulong. While the cashier was ringing up her purchases, I quickly asked her how she cooks these minute fish into torta. “Add flour”, she answered.

Ha! Why didn’t I think of that? Makes a lot of sense as the flour in ukoy works in tandem with eggs as a binder. So, yes, here it is, my delicious version of tortang dulong. I served my fish patties with steamed okra, pan-fried eggplant, white rice and spicy vinegar for dipping. Can I just say, best lunch ever?

Tortang Dulong

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

Author: Lalaine| Kawaling Pinoy

Recipe type: Main Entree

Cuisine: Filipino

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 to 3 tablespoons oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

1 Roma tomato, chopped

2 cups silverfish (dulong), drained well

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons green onions, chopped

Instructions

In a pan over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until limp. Add tomatoes and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly softened.

Add silverfish and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain mixture VERY well.

In a bowl, add eggs and whisk until well beaten. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add flour and stir until smooth. Add fish mixture and green onions. Stir until just combined.

In a wide, nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat another 1 tablespoon oil and swirl around to fully coat pan. Add about ½ cup of egg mixture and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes or until eggs begin to set and lightly brown. Using a spatula, gently flip to the other side. Continue to cook for another 1 minute or until both sides are lightly browned. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining egg mixture. Serve hot.